Player Priority

[sharpie]

Our outside midfielders are fine:
Davis
Williams
Fosdike
Kennelly
plus a number of others. In fact most of our team can play that role. This is really our strength, along with our forward line.

Our ruck is ok as long as it stays fit:
Goodes is our #1 ruckman. no dispute about that. He jumps over anyone despite his lack of height, until he gets tired.
Ball
Doyle

Our current inside midfielders are:
J.Bolton
Kirk - he is going to be our #1 clearance king next year. No more tagging for him. Give the opposition a headache trying to chase him down all day. He's got the fitness for it.
That's pretty slim. Unless someone like Ablett, who has the body for it, can step up, we seriously need to lift in this area.

Our key position defenders are average, despite their success this year (which was helped more due to our great HBFs Barry & Kennelly):
Schauble
Saddington
C.Bolton
The only possible additions to this for next year from our list are LRT and Powell. But these guys need another 10 kgs first.

So, in a perfect world, we need some magical trading that lands us a 23 yo inside midfielder, who already has about 100 games experience. And a 95kg 195cm CHB, similar age, similar experience. . Not to mention the fact that we don't lose any draft picks or valuable players on our list at the moment!

[ugg]

I would definitely be looking at a midfielder, because in most cases, these draftees wouldn't be looking to play regular senior football until 2 to 4 years down the track. This is when we would be missing Williams and Maxfield.

[Rob-bloods]

No contest.... key defender, even with improvement I would not stake the same defence holding tight against the big attacks next year!

[ugg]

Originally posted by Rob-bloods
No contest.... key defender, even with improvement I would not stake the same defence holding tight against the big attacks next year!

I think the chance of drafting a ready made KP defender would be very low.

[motorace_182]

We need an in and under midfielder urgently. We have Dempster, LRT, Powell and James coming through the twos and show extreme promise for the future.
We can not have Kirk and Jude carrying the load in the midfield, they need help for hard ball gets.
We do not need McKernan, we have a YOUTH POLICY. Our ruck division needs assistance, but if we can get Bradshaw from Brissie our KPP down back is pretty set.

[barry]

Originally posted by sharpie
Our outside midfielders are fine:
Davis
Williams
Fosdike
Kennelly
plus a number of others. In fact most of our team can play that role. This is really our strength, along with our forward line.

Our ruck is ok as long as it stays fit:
Goodes is our #1 ruckman. no dispute about that. He jumps over anyone despite his lack of height, until he gets tired.
Ball
Doyle

Our current inside midfielders are:
J.Bolton
Kirk - he is going to be our #1 clearance king next year. No more tagging for him. Give the opposition a headache trying to chase him down all day. He's got the fitness for it.
That's pretty slim. Unless someone like Ablett, who has the body for it, can step up, we seriously need to lift in this area.

Our key position defenders are average, despite their success this year (which was helped more due to our great HBFs Barry & Kennelly):
Schauble
Saddington
C.Bolton
The only possible additions to this for next year from our list are LRT and Powell. But these guys need another 10 kgs first.

So, in a perfect world, we need some magical trading that lands us a 23 yo inside midfielder, who already has about 100 games experience. And a 95kg 195cm CHB, similar age, similar experience. . Not to mention the fact that we don't lose any draft picks or valuable players on our list at the moment!

Schuable is as good as any CHB/FB at the moment. Probably one of the best in the 2nd half of the year. Collingwood would have died for his services in the GF.

Bolton, Saddington, and James are at that age where their bodies are now mature enough to bulk up considerably. I'd expect to see all three stronger next year.

That leaves our defense in pretty good nick, although in trouble if injuries occur.

In and under midfielders are our principal target, as we are weak there. We should trade Fosdike (expendable outside midfielder) who would have some value considering is Brownlow performance, if a deal comes up.

[robbieando]

We need an inside midfielder????? I remember last year before the draft saying we should go for Salopek or Schammer who were inside midfielders and not McVeigh who is a outside midfielder, yet certain people on here said we lacked outside midfielders and thus should go after McVeigh. They also said we had pently of inside midfielders and that it was an area we didn't lack in. Now saying that we 12 months later are we crying out for inside midfielders when all we have lost is Cressa????

12 months ago I said we lacked in this area, 12 months on I say its a K/P defender we lack. I think we can address inside midfielders in the draft, we should go all out to find a CHB, if we can't find a suitable one, then we move on to inside midfielders and hope LRT can hold down CHB.

On ruckman, I think that with Doyle and Ball back at full fitness its an area we don't need to worry about as much, maybe a late draft pick could be used on one again. MJ and LRT are handy back ups in this area. Though if we got in a Cox, maybe we could then use Goodes as a ruck-rover????

[sharpie]

Originally posted by robbieando
use Goodes as a ruck-rover????

Now that's what I'd like to see! Imagine Ball taking the taps, Goodes charging around all over the ground, and belting the ball long to the goal square, where Doyle stands tall and takes a grab! No team could match up with that!

[Ryan Bomford]

Now that you've mentioned it, have we ever had those 3 on the ground at the same time?

[barry]

Originally posted by Ryan Bomford
Now that you've mentioned it, have we ever had those 3 on the ground at the same time?

Yeah Round 1 v Carlton. Our biggest victory of the year.
(Was Ball playing?)

[sharpie]

Originally posted by barry
Yeah Round 1 v Carlton. Our biggest victory of the year.
(Was Ball playing?)

Ball played. But we only had Doyle for about half the game before he did his knee. Was watching the game yesterday on Fox Footy. He had already kicked 2 goals before he went off.